I.A.02_PLA Notice - HSAAP Intake Facility 25R4001.pdf

12 June 2025

W9123625R4001: PLA Notice for Construction of New River Water Intake Facility and Pump Station at Holston Army Ammunition Plant (HSAAP), Kingsport, TN

The Corps of Engineers Norfolk District is soliciting comments from the construction community addressing the potential use of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the following large scale (exceeding $35 Million) construction project.

NOTE: This is NOT a Request for Proposal and does not constitute any commitment by the Government. Responses to this labor market survey will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. All interested sources must respond to future solicitation announcements separately from responses to this market survey.

A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Army Corps of Engineers—Norfolk District is conducting Supplemental Market Research to identify potential sources for construction of the facility identified below:

Holston Army Ammunition Plant (HSAAP) is a Government-Owned, Contractor- Operated (GOCO) explosives production facility located in Kingsport, TN. All production at HSAAP depends on river water.

HSAAP draws river water from the Holston River for process use in the plant. River water provides two primary functions: (1) Feedstock to the Filtered Water Plant, and (2) Non-contact Cooling Water (NCCW) for various process applications. River water is currently extracted through the existing pump house and intake on the east side of the plant.

The new river water intake facility and pump house will comply with the Clean Water Act (CWA) Rule 316(b) which provides protection to aquatic wildlife by reducing fish impingement mortality rates. 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 125.94 identifies requirements for existing/new facilities to ensure compliance with Rule 316(b) such as

(a) limiting the allowed velocity of the water flow through intake screens to 0.5 feet per second (fps), or (b) using a modified traveling screen that safely transports impinged organisms back to the source waterbody. Estimated intake capacity for river water is 80- 96 million gallons per day (MGPD).

USACE is seeking construction contractors with current and relevant experience, personnel, and capability to perform the construction of a new river water intake facility and associated pump house. The project will be constructed at Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Kingsport, TN. It is anticipated that this project will be solicited in the third quarter of FY25. The anticipated contract completion is 912 calendar days from notice to proceed. The contractor shall construct a complete and usable facility utilizing design-bid-build approach.

In accordance with DFARS 236.204, the estimated price range for this project is between $100,000,000 and $250,000,000.

In accordance with FAR 52.219-9, all Large Businesses will be required to submit a Subcontracting Plan that must be approved before award.

PLA Notice W9123625R4001 – Construction of HSAAP New Water Intake Facility and Pump Station

Kingsport, TN

B. KEY FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION

The following are factors that should be considered when developing response:

1. Prime contractor experience with construction in and near rivers.

2. Prime contractor experience with meeting explosive safety requirements and working within areas controlled by the Department of Defense Explosive Safety Board.

3. Prime contractor experience on Design-Bid-Build projects for the Government.

4. Prime contractor experience with building large pumping stations and installing water infrastructure piping.

5. Site Location: Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Kingsport, TN.

Contractors will be required to submit bonding documents for 100% of the award amount prior to award. Bonding documents are not required for this Supplemental Sources Sought.

All interested capable, qualified, and responsive Prime contractors are encouraged to reply to this Supplemental Sources Sought announcement.

It is anticipated that the Government will issue one Firm-Fixed Price contract for this construction project.

C. SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

1. PLA is defined as a pre-hire collective bargaining agreement with one or more labor organizations that establishes the terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project and is an agreement described in 29 U.S.C. 158(f).

2. In accordance with FAR 22.503, an agency may, if appropriate, require that every contractor and subcontractor engaged in construction on the project agree, for that project, to negotiate or become a party to a Project Labor Agreement with one or more labor organization if the agency decides that the use of Project Labor Agreements will:

a. Advance the Federal Government’s interest in achieving economy and efficiency in Federal procurement, producing labor-management stability, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations governing safety and health, equal employment opportunity, labor and employment standards, and other matters;

and

b. Be consistent with law. *

*Reference: FAR Provision 52.222-33 - Notice of Requirement for Project Labor Agreement and FAR Clause 52.222-34 - Project Labor Agreement.

D. PLA QUESTIONS TO INDUSTRY

In consideration of the above factors, and any others which may be deemed appropriate, the construction community is invited to comment on the use of PLAs. Your response will be used to determine whether to add PLA into the project or to pursue a waiver process. To help us with the decision-making process, we request you to provide responses to the following questions:

1. If the Government mandates the PLA for this project, would this change your interest in pursuing this opportunity?

2. Do you have knowledge that a PLA has been used in the local area on projects of this kind? If so, please provide supporting documentation.

3. Are you aware of skilled labor shortages in the area for those crafts that will be needed to complete the referenced project? Are there large-scale construction projects in the area (over $35M, within 50 miles of Kingsport, TN), which could impact availability of skilled labor for this project? What is the anticipated volatility in the labor market for the trades required for execution of the project? Please provide supporting documentation.

4. Are you aware of time sensitive issues/scheduling requirements that would impact the rate at which the referenced project should be completed? If so, please elaborate and provide supporting documentation where possible.

5. Is the proposed schedule/completion time one which would benefit from a PLA – if so, how? Will a PLA impact the completion time? Would a PLA benefit a project which contains a unique and compelling mission-critical schedule?

6. Are there any concerns regarding labor-management stability related to this project? Will the use of a PLA produce labor-management stability on this project? Have labor disputes or other labor issues contributed to project delays in the local area? Are you aware of examples of labor-management conflicts in the area which could impact the efficiency of this project, which a PLA could positively impact/resolve?

7. Identify specific reasons why you do not believe a PLA would advance the Federal Governments interest in achieving economy and efficiency in federal procurement.

8. Please identify any additional information you believe should be considered on the use of a PLA on the referenced project.

9. Identify any additional information you believe should be considered on the non-use of a PLA for the referenced project.

The information gathered in this exercise should include the following information on projects completed in the last 2-5 years:

a. Project Name and Location

b. Detailed Project Description

c. Initial Cost Estimate vs. Actual Final Cost

d. Was the project completed on time?

e. Number of craft trades present on the project?

f. Was a PLA used?

g. Were there any challenges experienced during the project?

Please provide your comments via e-mail to the Contract Specialist, at Raven.D.Sasser@usace.army.mil, and a copy to the Contracting Officer at Ekaterina.Oxley@usace.army.mil no later than 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on 27 June 2025.

Place of Performance:

Holston Army Ammunition Plant Kingsport, TN United States

Primary Point of Contact:

Raven Sasser Contract Specialist mailto:Raven.D.Sasser@usace.army.mil mailto:Ekaterina.Oxley@usace.army.mil

Raven.D.Sasser@usace.army.mil USACE—Norfolk District

Secondary Point of Contact:

Ekaterina Oxley Contracting Officer Ekaterina.Oxley@usace.army.mil USACE—Norfolk District mailto:Raven.D.Sasser@usace.army.mil mailto:Ekaterina.Oxley@usace.army.mil